Loose-leaf booklet.



L. F. SMITH.

LOOSE LEAF BOOKLET.

APPLICATION FILED 001219, 1908.

Patented July 12, 1910.

which makes it possl LEO E. SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LOOSE-LEAF BOOKLET.

coarse.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1.2, 1191M).

Application filed October 19, 1908. Serial No. 458,338.

To all whom it may concern:

Be-it known that I, LEO F. SMITH, a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Booklets, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

1 The invention relates to loose-leaf bookets.

In catalogues for merchandise, it is now customary to permanentl bind or secure the leaves in an inexpensive cover, usually formed of a sheet of paper. That is done because they are widely dlstributed and used in large quantities, so that the use of a costly loose-leaf binder would be, in most cases, unprofitable. Furthermore, in the industrial arts it is frequently desired to place new products onsale or to change prices or withdraw some of the catalogued goods from the market, and when a permanently bound catalogue is used these changes frequently necessitate an entirely new publication containing much of the material set forth in the preceding catalogue. These conditions are sometimes met by ublication of a supplemental catalogue which, however, is not convenient of reference, because it is frequently necessary to examine the original catalogue and then to examine the supplement to determine whether the goods originally listed are still-being offered, or whether the goods have been changed in quality or character, or whether the price has been changed. For these reasons, a loose-leaf booklet from which leaves for out of date goods or prices may be removed and into which illustrations of matter relating to new changes may be inserted in orderly arrangement, has some material advantages in catalogues or pamphlets for listing or publica tions relating to merchandise. In publications of this character, it is, however, necessary that theloose-leaf booklet shall be so simple and inexpensive that the cost will not be materially greater than a permanently bound booklet because they are, in most cases, for gratuitous distribution and produced in very large quantities, the publisher frequently desirin to send them out to serve the purpose of a vertisement as well as the purpose of areference medium.

The present invention desi ns to provide an improved, simple, loose-lea booklet which is more specially adapted for catalogues and le to remove or lnsert these requirements by providing a loose-leaf binder or cover which can be formed essentially from a single sheet of stock, folded to form stubs between which the leaves may be removably secured and in this manner to provide a cover which costs little if any, more than one which is stitched or permanently bound to the leaves.

With these objects in view, the invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawin s: Figure 1 is a perspective of a loose-leaf ooklet embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectlon taken in the plane ofone of the removable fasten ers whereby the leaves are connected to the stub-portions of the cover. Fi 3 is a similar View illustrating a modifie form of the invention. p

5 The entire cover A is formed of a single sheet of flexible stock, such as cover-paper. In forming the cover from a sheet of stock the latter is creased or folded as at a and a, so that the end-portions of the sheet will form cover-sides A, A, which are free respectively to be folded or opened about the creases or folds a, a respectivel The stock between the folds a, a is folde inwardly to form stubs a and a, each stub consisting of an inner and an outer web or thickness, the inner edge of each stub being formed by creasing or folding the stock as at a to provide a stub of a double thlckness, and the stock between the inner webs of the stubs is, folded as at a to extend around the back edges of the leaves whlch are held between the stubs. As a result of integrally formin substantially the entire cover wlth stubs 0% double thickness from a single sheet of stock, the cost of production of the cover will not be materially greater, if any, than a pamphlet-cover of usual form in which the leaves are stitched or permanently secured therein, the use of hinge-connections between the parts of the cover or between the stubs and the cover being entirely unnecessary since the folds in the sheet of stock forming all parts of the cover, provide for all the necessary flexibility. The connecting back-portion of the stock between the stubs a and a being formed of flexible material permits the stubs to be separated or brought together as may be necessary in securing a greater or less number of leaves between the stubs. Each stub is thus formed of two thicknesses of stock, and those are secured together so that in manipulatin the cover-sides they will open about the folds a, a and prevent them from folding about the creases or folds a at the front-edges of the stubs, by eyelets B in suitable number which extend through perforations in the stubs and have their anges clenched against the inner and outer facesof the stubs. In practice these eyelets usually suflice to secure the two thicknesses of the stub together, but in some instances, where very thin stock is used, the two thicknesses of stock forming eachstub may also be pasted together. The sheets G containing the printed matter are perforated correspondin 1y to the stubs and to the eyelets in the stu s, so that they can be insertedor removed at will, by removal of the fasteners D, each of which consists of a head (1, and a pair of flexible strips 03 which are adapted. to be inserted through the eyelets and through the perforations in the sheet C and bent laterally to hold the fastener in the stubs and to secure the leaves between the stubs. The outer face of each stub is disconnected from the cover-side except at the fold along the back-edge of the coverside so that the latter may be swung backwardly as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 2, to provide access to both ends of fasteners D for removal of the fasteners from the stubs, whenever additional sheets are to be inserted between the stubs or any of the sheets are to be removed.

The invention thus provides a cover for a set of loose sheets which is formed essentially out of a single sheet of stock folded to form a pair of stubs of double thickness, and a flexible back-portion between the stubs, so that special hinges or hinge-connections are necessary, and furthermore the' stubs being formed of a double thickness, are ree at their outer faces so that the cover-sides may be folded to give access to both ends of .the fastening-devices and whereby the fasteners may be removed for the insertion or removal of leaves or if the number of sheets is materially increased a longer fastener may be substituted. Resultantly, the cover is formed essentiall of a single sheet of stock, foldedtto provide integral cover-sides, stubs of double thickness, and a connecting back-portion between the stubs and the necessary folds of flexibility to permit the cover-sides to be opened and the stubs to be connected together to hold any desired number of leaves therebetween, thus meetin the desideratum ofproviding an inexpensive loose-leaf binder or cover adapted for catalogues and the like and which are usually provided in large quantities and must be produced at such a low cost that they can be adopted to advantage in booklets published in large numbers.

In Fig. 3 there is illustrated a modified form of the invention. In catalogues of considerable thickness there is considerable wear at the back or connecting-portions between-the sides and the back, and in such cases it is sometimes desirable to reinforce this portion of the cover by a flexible strip such as paper or cloth E, which extends over the back-portion of each cover-side and around the connecting back-portion or folds of the cover A. This strip is usually pasted to each of the cover sides and is sufiiciently full to permit the stubs to be spread or brought together so any desired number of leaves may be held therebetween.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a loose-leaf booklet, the combination of a cover formed complete of a single flexible sheet of stock folded to form cover sides and a pair of stubs, the fold between the sides and the stubs bein at the back of the stubs, the stock being folded at the front edges of the stubs to provide a double thickness for each of the stubs and being extended between the stubs to form a connecting flexible portion back,of the leaves, said stubs having perforations therein, means for securing the two thicknesses of each of the stubs together, a series of loose perforated sheets between the stubs, and removable fasteners extending through the perforations in the stubs and the sheets and having their ends disposed between the stubs and the cover-sides respectively, the sides being unattached to the stubs except at their back edges so that they may be folded away from the stubs to permit the fasteners to be withdrawn from both of the stubs.

2. In a loose-leaf booklet, the combination of a cover formed complete of a single flexible sheet of stock folded to form cover-sides and a pair of stubs, the fold between the sides and the stubs bein at the back of the stubs the stock being folded at the front edges of the stubs to provide a double thickness for the eyelets in the stubs and the perforations in of a cover formed complete of a single flexible sheet of stock folded to formcover-sides and a pair of stubs, the fold between the sides and the stubs being at the back of the stubs, the stock being folded at the front edges of the stubs to provide a double thickness for the stubs and being extended between the stubs to form 'a connecting flexible portion back of the leaves, said stubs having perforations therein, and eyelets extending through the two thicknesses of each of the stubs for securing them together, 'a series of loose-leaf perforated sheets between the stubs and removable fasteners extending through the eyelets in the stubs and the perforations in the sheets andhaving their ends disposed between the stubs and the cover-" sides respectively, the sides being'unattached to the stubs except at their back edges so that they may be folded away from the stubs to permit the fasteners to be withdrawn from the eyelets in both of thestubs.

eeanee e, In a loose-leaf booklet, the combination of a cover formed complete of a single flexible sheet of stock folded to form cover-sides and a pair of stubs, the fold between the sides and the stubs being at the back of the stubs, the stock being olded at the front edge of the stubs to provide a double thickness for the stubs and being extended between the stubs to form a connecting flexible portion back of the leaves, said stubs having perforations therein, means for securing the two thicknesses of each of the stubs together, a series of loose-leaf perforated sheets between the stubs, removable fasteners extending through the perforations in the stubs and the sheets and having their ends disposed between the stubs and the cover-sides respectively, and a strip for reinforcing the back secured to the cover-sides and extending around the folds betweenthe stubs and thebback and the back-portion between the stu s.

LEO F. SMITH.

, Witnesses:

FRED GERLAQH, STEPHEN PALMER. 

